ultimatepopculturefandomcom-20200216-history
Detective Comics
| format = | ongoing = y | publisher = Detective Comics, Inc.: #1–119 National Comics Publications: #120–296 National Periodical Publications: #297–467 DC Comics: #468–current | date = | issues = | main_char_team = | writers = | artists = | pencillers = | inkers = | letterers = | colorists = | creative_team_month = | creative_team_year = | creators = | subcat = Batman | sort = Detective Comics }} Detective Comics is an American comic book series published by DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 (cover dated May 1939). A second series of the same title was launched in the fall of 2011 but in 2016 reverted to the original volume numbering. The series is the source of its publishing company's name, and—along with Action Comics, the series that launched with the debut of Superman—one of the medium's signature series. The series published 881 issues between 1937 and 2011 and is the longest continuously published comic book in the United States. bimonthly run from 1973 to 1975. The American record-holder for most issues published is Dell Comics' Four Color series, which amassed more than 1,300 issues over a 23-year run.|group=Note|name=note}} Publication history Detective Comics was the final publication of the entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, whose comics company, National Allied Publications, would evolve into DC Comics, one of the world's two largest comic book publishers, though long after its founder had left it. Wheeler-Nicholson's first two titles were the landmark New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (cover-dated Feb. 1935), colloquially called New Fun Comics #1 and the first such early comic book to contain all-original content, rather than a mix of newspaper comic strips and comic-strip-style new material. His second effort, New Comics #1, would be retitled twice to become Adventure Comics, another seminal series that ran for decades until issue #503 in 1983, and was later revived in 2009. The third and final title published under his aegis would be Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, but eventually premiering three months later, with a March 1937 cover date. Wheeler-Nicholson was in debt to printing-plant owner and magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld, who was as well a pulp-magazine publisher and a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News. Wheeler-Nicholson took Donenfeld on as a partner in order to publish Detective Comics #1 through the newly formed Detective Comics, Inc., with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfeld's accountant, listed as owners. Wheeler-Nicholson was forced out a year later. Originally an anthology comic, in the manner of the times, Detective Comics #1 (March 1937) featured stories in the "hard-boiled detective" genre, with such stars as Ching Lung (a Fu Manchu-style "Yellow Peril" villain); Slam Bradley (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster before their character Superman saw print two years later); and Speed Saunders, among others. Its first editor, Vin Sullivan, also drew the debut issue's cover. The Crimson Avenger debuted in issue #20 (October 1938).Wallace "1930s" in Dolan, p. 21: "Alongside more typical fare...came the debut of the Crimson Avenger, the first masked crime fighter in comics." In later years, the start of this series has been marred by its racism and xenophobia. Batman / Bruce Wayne Detective Comics #27 (March 1939 with a printed date of May 1939) featured the first appearance of Batman.Wallace "1930s" in Dolan, p. 24: "DC's second superstar debuted in the lead story of this issue, written by Bill Finger and drawn by Bob Kane, though the character was missing many of the elements that would make him a legend." That superhero would eventually become the star of the title, the cover logo of which is often written as "Detective Comics featuring Batman". Because of its significance, issue #27 is widely considered one of the most valuable comic books in existence, with one copy selling for $1,075,000 in a February 2010 auction. Batman's origin is first revealed in a two-page story in issue #33 (Nov. 1939).Wallace "1930s" in Dolan, p. 25: "In November's Detective Comics #33, a two-page story titled 'The Batman and How He Came to Be' recounted the Dark Knight's tragic and driven origin." Batman became the main cover feature of the title beginning with issue #35 (Jan. 1940). Issue #38 (April 1940) introduced Batman's sidekick Robin, billed as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" on the cover and the first of several characters that would make up the "Batman Family".Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 31: "Writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane justified any hyperbole in this issue, for with the introduction of Robin, Batman's world changed forever." Robin's appearance and the subsequent increase in sales of the book soon led to the trend of superheroes and young sidekicks that characterize the era fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Several of Batman's best known villains debuted in the pages of Detective Comics during this era including the Penguin in issue #58,Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 37: "One of Batman's most peculiar foes first appeared in this issue, and naturally he brought his trademark umbrella with him. The Penguin was a squat dandy with a beaked nose and a tuxedo." Two-Face in issue #66,Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 41: "The nightmarish Two-Face debuted as Batman's antagonist in this story by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane." and the Riddler in issue #140.Wallace, Daniel "1940s" in Dolan, p. 59: "The Riddler debuted as a perplexing foe of Batman in a story by writer Bill Finger and artist Dick Sprang." Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956)Irvine, Alex "1950s" in Dolan, p. 80: "In the story 'The Batwoman' by writer Edmond Hamilton and penciller Sheldon Moldoff (as Bob Kane), Bruce Wayne took notice of a young admirer who...was fighting crime while wearing a bat-costume." Since the family formula had proven very successful for the Superman franchise, editor Jack Schiff suggested to Batman co-creator Bob Kane that he create one for the Batman. A female was chosen first, to offset the charges made by Fredric Wertham that Batman and Robin were homosexual. Writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff introduced Bat-Mite in issue #267 (May 1959)Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 94: "The impish Bat-Mite made his first appearance in Detective Comics #267, care of writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff." and Clayface in #298 (Dec. 1961).McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 103: "Scribe Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff reshaped the face of evil with the second – and perhaps most recognized – Clayface ever to challenge the Dark Knight." In 1964, Julius Schwartz was made responsible for reviving the faded Batman titles. Writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino jettisoned the sillier aspects that had crept into the franchise such as Ace the Bathound and Bat-Mite and gave the character a "New Look" that premiered in Detective Comics #327 (May 1964).McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 110: "The Dark Knight received a much-needed facelift from new Batman editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino. With sales at an all-time low and threatening the cancelation of one of DC's flagship titles, their overhaul was a lifesaving success for DC and its beloved Batman." Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Infantino introduced, from the William Dozier produced tv series, Barbara Gordon as a new version of Batgirl in a story titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in issue #359 (Jan. 1967).McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 122 "Nine months before making her debut on Batman, a new Batgirl appeared in the pages of Detective Comics...Yet the idea for the debut of Barbara Gordon, according to editor Julius Schwartz, was attributed to the television series executives' desire to have a character that would appeal to a female audience and for this character to originate in the comics. Hence, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino collaborated on 'The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!'" Mike Friedrich wrote the 30th anniversary Batman story in Detective Comics #387 (May 1969) which was drawn by Bob Brown. Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams had their first collaboration on Batman on the story "The Secret of the Waiting Graves" in issue #395 (Jan. 1970).McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 143: "Artist Neal Adams and writer Denny O'Neil rescued Batman from the cozy, campy cul-de-sac he had been consigned to in the 1960s and returned the Dark Knight to his roots as a haunted crime fighter. The cover of their first collaboration, "The Secret of the Waiting Graves", was typical of Adams' edgy, spooky style." The duo, under the direction of Schwartz, would revitalize the character with a series of noteworthy stories reestablishing Batman's dark, brooding nature and taking the books away from the campy look and feel of the 1966–68 ABC TV series.Goulart, Ron, Ron Goulart's Great History of Comic books (Contemporary Books, Chicago, 1986) , p. 297 Comics historian Les Daniels observed that "O'Neil's interpretation of Batman as a vengeful obsessive-compulsive, which he modestly describes as a return to the roots, was actually an act of creative imagination that has influenced every subsequent version of the Dark Knight." Adams introduced Man-Bat with writer Frank Robbins in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970).Greenberger and Manning, p. 177 "Adams helped darken Gotham City in the 1970s and the scene was set for a new host of major villains. One of the first was Man-Bat, who debuted in the pages of 1970's Detective Comics #400." O'Neil and artist Bob Brown crafted Batman's first encounter with the League of Assassins in ''Detective Comics #405 (Nov. 1970)Manning, Matthew K. "1970s" in Dougall, p. 109: "Batman had his first brush with the mysterious League of Assassins in this issue written by Dennis O'Neil and illustrated by Bob Brown." and created Talia al Ghul in issue #411 (May 1971).McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 145 "Before Batman first encountered one of his greatest adversaries, Ra's al Ghul, he met his daughter, the lovely but lethal Talia a story by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Bob Brown." After publishing on a monthly schedule throughout its run, Detective Comics became a bi-monthly book from issues #435 (June–July 1973) to #445 (Feb.-March 1975). Issues #438 (Dec. 1973-Jan. 1974) to #445 (Feb.–March 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format. O'Neil and artist Dick Giordano created the Batman supporting character Leslie Thompkins in the story "There Is No Hope in Crime Alley" appearing in issue #457 (March 1976).Greenberger and Manning, p. 30: "It was Dick Giordano who, among many other similar feats, drew the March 1976 fan-favorite issue #457 of Detective Comics to illustrate the fabled Denny O'Neil yarn 'There is No Hope in Crime Alley'." Writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers produced an acclaimed run of Batman stories in Detective Comics #471–476 (Aug. 1977 – April 1978),McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 174: "...first-time collaborators Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers firmly entrenched Batman in his dark, pulp roots." and provided one of the definitive interpretations that influenced the 1989 Batman movie and would be adapted for the 1990s animated series. The Englehart and Rogers pairing, was described in 2009 by comics writer and historian Robert Greenberger as "one of the greatest" creative teams to work on the Batman character.Greenberger and Manning, p. 27: "Batman was now a true creature of the night, and every artist and writer team worth their creative salt wanted a piece of him. One of the greatest of such pairs consisted of writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers...when Rogers joined Englehart in Detective Comics issue #471 (August 1977), their styles meshed with such ease that the result gave the impression of years' worth of collaboration." In their story "The Laughing Fish", the Joker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expects to be granted a federal trademark on them, only to start killing bureaucrats who try to explain that obtaining such a claim on a natural resource is legally impossible.Greenberger and Manning, p. 163: "In this fondly remembered tale that was later adapted into an episode of the 1990s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, the Joker poisoned the harbors of Gotham so that the fish would all bear his signature grin, a look the Joker then tried to trademark in order to collect royalties." Writer Len Wein and Rogers co-created the third version of the supervillain Clayface in Detective Comics #478 (July–Aug. 1978).McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 179: "Writer Len Wein and artist Marshall Rogers vividly depicted Batman's battle with a third Clayface." From issue #481 (Dec. 1978 – Jan. 1979) through #495 (Oct. 1980), the magazine adopted the expanded Dollar Comics format used by the canceled Batman Family, adding solo features including "Robin: the Teen Wonder", "Batgirl", the "Human Target" and the anthology "Tales of Gotham City", which featured stories of the city's ordinary people. Julius Schwartz, who had edited the title for most of its run since 1964, left the series as of issue #484 (June–July 1979) The original Katherine Kane also known as "Batwoman" was killed in the lead story in issue #485 (Aug.–Sept. 1979) by the League of Assassins.McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 183: "September's Detective Comics #485 featured...the League of Assassins' murder of Kathy (Batwoman) Kane event that sent Batman out for revenge in a story by scripter Denny O'Neil and artist Don Newton." The title's 500th issue (March 1981) featured stories by several well-known creators including television writer Alan Brennert and Walter B. Gibson best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow.Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 193: "The comic responsible for DC's name reached its 500th issue with the help of a variety of talented comic book icons...In a dimension-spanning story by writer Alan Brennert and fan-favorite artist Dick Giordano, Batman traveled to an alternate Earth to save the parents of a young Bruce Wayne...Writer of pulp icon the Shadow, Walter Gibson, spun a prose story of the Dark Knight, illustrated by Tom Yeates." Also used during the 1980s was the use of serialization of the main Batman story, with stories from Detective Comics and Batman directly flowing from one book to another, with cliffhangers at the end of each book's monthly story that would be resolved in the other title of that month. A single writer handled both books during that time beginning with Gerry Conway and followed up by Doug Moench. The supervillain Killer Croc made a shadowy cameo in issue #523 (Feb. 1983).Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 200: "Killer Croc made his mysterious debut in the pages of Detective Comics #523, written by Gerry Conway, with art by Gene Colan...Croc would soon become a major player in Gotham's underworld." Noted author Harlan Ellison wrote the Batman story in issue #567. Writer Mike W. Barr and artists Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane crafted the "Batman: Year Two" storyline in Detective Comics #575–578 which followed up on Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One".Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 229: "In 'Year Two', a four-part sequel "Batman: Year One" set in Batman's second year as a crime fighter, writer Mike W. Barr and artists Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane challenged the Caped Crusader with the threat of the Reaper." Writer Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story togetherManning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 235: "In February 1988, the Batman crossed paths with Scarface and the Ventriloquist in Detective Comics #583 by writer John Wagner and Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle." and the Ratcatcher in their third (#585).Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 171: "Writers John Wagner and Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle introduced the Ratcatcher in this two-part story." Sam Hamm, who wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman, wrote the "Blind Justice" story in Detective Comics issues #598–600.Greenberger and Manning, p. 41: "In the pages of Detective Comics, Batman screenwriter Sam Hamm took advantage of that year's ongoing writers' strike to write a three-issue story entitled "Blind Justice", which culminated in that title's 600th issue." Chuck Dixon became the writer of the series with issue #644 (May 1992).Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 195: "Chuck Dixon became the new writer on Detective Comics, starting with this issue with the help of the pencils of Tom Lyle and the inks of Scott Hanna." He and Tom Lyle co-created the Electrocutioner in Detective Comics #644 (May 1992)Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 195 and Stephanie Brown in Detective Comics #647 (August 1992).Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 196 The "Batman: Legacy" storyline began in issue #700 (August 1996).Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 274: "'Legacy' kicked into full speed in the anniversary issue of Detective Comics (#700), which came with a unique envelope wrapping." The "No Man's Land" storyline crossed over into Detective Comics in issues #730–741. Writer Greg Rucka and artist Shawn Martinbrough became the creative team as of issue #742 (March 2000)Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 246: "Greg Rucka was handed the reins of Detective Comics, alongside artist Shawn Martinbrough...To visually distinguish the title from other Batman books, Martinbrough employed a minimal color palette, using shades of only one or two colors per issue." and created the Sasha Bordeaux character in issue #751 (Dec. 2000).Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 252: "Greg Rucka and artist Shawn Martinbrough debuted a major new character and love interest into the life of Batman: Sasha Bordeaux." Issue #800 (Jan. 2005) was written by Andersen Gabrych and drawn by Pete Woods.Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 318: "'Detective Comics 800th issue was extra large to celebrate the comic's anniversary and set up a new direction for the Dark Knight...Scripted by Andersen Gabrych and pencilled by Pet Woods, the issue took Batman back to basics." Paul Dini became the writer of the series as of issue #821 (Sept. 2006)Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 290: "Paul Dini came aboard Detective Comics as its new ongoing writer as of this issue." and created a new version of the Ventriloquist in #827 (March 2007).Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 293: "Paul Dini and artist Don Kramer introduced a new Ventriloquist in this self-contained issue." Scott Snyder became the writer of Detective Comics with issue #871 (Jan. 2011). Backup features In addition to the Batman stories, the title has had numerous back-up strips. The Boy Commandos by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby debuted in Detective Comics #64 (June 1942) and were then soon spun off into their own title.Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 41: "The inaugural issue of Boy Commandos represented Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's first original title since they started at DC though the characters had debuted earlier that year in Detective Comics #64." The character Roy Raymond first appeared in issue #153 (Nov. 1949).Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 61: "Television was a new medium in 1949, and this issue saw the debut of Roy Raymond, adventurer and star of the fictional TV program 'Impossible _ But True!'" The Martian Manhunter was created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa in the back-up story "The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel" in Detective Comics #225 (Nov. 1955).Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 77: "The Martian called J'onn J'onzz debuted as a regular feature in Detective Comics #225. 'The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel', by writer Joe Samachson and artist Joe Certa, gave the origin for the lonely Martian Manhunter." After issue #326 (April 1964), the Martian Manhunter was moved to House of Mystery and in #327 the Elongated Man and his wife, now remodeled after Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles, took over. The characters crossed over with Batman three times. The Elongated Man run lasted until #383 (Jan. 1969) and his feature returned sporadically 15 times until #572, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the title by teaming him up with Batman, Robin, Slam Bradley and Sherlock Holmes against Edgar Moriarty. After the Elongated Man backup feature ended, Batgirl held the role until #424. After moving her to Batman Family, she was returned from #481 to #519. Jason Bard appeared as the backup feature in the odd-numbered issues of Detective from #425 though #435. Manhunter was resurrected in a story by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson in issue #437 (Oct.-Nov. 1973).McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 157: "Together with exciting new artist Walt Simonson, Archie Goodwin executed seven flawless tales that chronicled Paul Kirk's hunt for the world's deadliest game...Manhunter's award-winning revival earned undying acclaim for its talented storytellers." With the last episode of the series, Manhunter moved to the front of the book in a full-length team-up with Batman. Green Arrow became the backup feature starting with issue #521 (Dec. 1982)Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 199: "Green Arrow netted the coveted position as backup story to the Dark Knight's adventures in Detective Comics. Written by Joey Cavalieri, with art by Trevor Von Eeden, the new feature saw Star City's renowned archer renew his war on crime." and running until #567 (Oct. 1986). Black Canary received a new costume in the back-up story in issue #554 (Sept. 1985).Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 214: "Dinah Lance adopted a new costume tailor-made for the 1980s in the pages of this issue's 'Green Arrow' back-up feature." DC Comics Bonus Books were included in issues #589 (August 1988)[http://www.comics.org/issue/44861/ Detective Comics #589] at the Grand Comics Database and #595 (Jan. 1989).[http://www.comics.org/issue/45673/ Detective Comics #595] at the Grand Comics Database After a lengthy absence, the back-up features returned for issues #746–810. These were more closed ended stories featuring new and established characters in the Batman mythos. The first was "The Jacobian" in issues #746–757, followed by a one part Batman story in #758. The following issues, #759–762, featured Slam Bradley and was a lead-in to the 2002 Catwoman series. Issues #763–772 feature Josephine "Josie Mac" MacDonald, a Gotham police detective. Issues #773–775 are titled "Tales of Gotham" and feature Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya. Batman starred in Spore from issues #776–780. #781 featured a special Elseworlds tale, while #782 featured a Batman solo tale. #783 featured a prelude to the "Death and the Maidens" miniseries and #784 featured a Josie Mac tale. The "Tales of Gotham" resumed in issues #785–788 with "The Dogcatcher", and #789–794 featured "The Tailor". "Polished Stone", featuring Green Arrow and Onyx ran in issues #795–796. "Low" featuring the Riddler and Poison Ivy, ran from #797–799. Detective Comics #800 featured a short Batman back-up under the "Tales of Gotham" banner. A four-issue (#801–805) story featuring the Barker entitled "When You're Strange" was next, and "Mud" in issue #805. A two-part story (#806–807) featuring Alfred was followed by the last back-up, a three part (#808–810) Killer Croc story. The "Manhunter" series that ran as a backup in Detective Comics from 1973 to 1974 won the Shazam Award for "Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic)" in 1974 for the story "Cathedral Perilous" in issue #441, written by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson. Batwoman In 2009, as part of planned reorganization of the Batman universe due to the events shown in Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, Detective Comics went on hiatus for three months while DC Comics published the Battle for the Cowl miniseries. Upon its return, the series featured the newly reintroduced (in 52) Batwoman as the new star of the book, as well as a 10-page back-up feature starring Renee Montoya as the new Question. The series returned Batman to a starring role in early 2010. The New 52 DC Comics relaunched Detective Comics with issue #1 in September 2011, as part of The New 52.Manning "2010s" in Dougall, p. 319: "For the first time, Batman starred in a first issue of Detective Comics as the title was restarted to reflect the revised continuity of DC Comics' New 52 universe." The series was written and drawn by Tony Daniel until the twelfth issue, with the team of John Layman and Jason Fabok beginning with issue #13. The first issue of the relaunched Detective Comics has received six printings, second only to the relaunched Justice League which had seven printings. The series seventh issue was also DC Comic's sixth highest selling digital comic, ranking above many other series in the Batman category. Scott West of Sciencefiction.com gave the series' third arc a positive review, stating that "After last month’s disappointing ‘Night of the Owls’ tie-in issue, it’s nice to see ‘Detective Comics’ getting back to where it should be… good detective stories." The relaunched Detective Comics received the award for "Best Series" at the 2012 Stan Lee Awards. The series' first collected edition would reach the number one spot on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category of "Hardcover Graphic Books". Daniel wrote and penciled the series until the Night of the Owls crossover, at which point Ed Benes, Julio Ferreira, and Eduardo Pansica began drawing the series for a three issue arc. The price of Detective Comics was increased due to the addition of a backup feature starring Batman villain Two-Face, which was written by Daniel and illustrated by Syzmon Kudranski, this followed a similar backup featuring Hugo Strange. Daniel left the series with issue #12 being his last as writer and the "0" issue his last as penciller. DC celebrated the first anniversary of The New 52 in September 2012 by publishing a number "0" of each original New 52 title which act as prequels to the series and reveal previously unexplained plot elements. Gregg Hurwitz wrote the "0" issue. Hurwitz was approached by Daniel to write the "0" issue due to Daniel's busy schedule. To follow up on the Night of the Owls elements in Detective Comics, Daniel wrote Detective Comics Annual #1 which was pencilled by Romano Molenaar and inked by Sandu Florea. Following Daniel's tenure on the series, John Layman became the new writer and Jason Fabok the new artist with James Tynion IV writing the backup features and Syzmon Kudranski remaining as artist for Tynion's first feature. With issue #19 of Detective Comics vol. 2, released on April 3, 2013, the series reached 900 issues as combined with the first volume of the series, and was a special oversized celebratory issue. Under Layman, the series featured its first crossover, Gothtopia after which Layman and Fabok moved to the Batman Eternal series and Detective Comics was taken over by Brain Buccalleto and Francis Manapul. In commemoration of the second anniversary of the New 52, DC Comics announced "Villains Month" with Detective Comics getting four issues. The issues star Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, and Man-Bat, and respectively being numbered #23.1, #23.2, #23.3, and #23.4, by an ensemble of writers and artists. For the 75th anniversary of Batman, issue #27 was a larger-sized issue featuring new stories by Brad Meltzer and Bryan Hitch, Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy, Peter Tomasi and Ian Bertram, John Layman and Jason Fabok, Gregg Hurwitz and Neal Adams, Mike W. Barr and Guillem March, and one written and drawn by Francesco Francavilla. In addition, variant covers to the issue were by Greg Capullo, Frank Miller, Chris Burnham, Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, and Tony Daniel. Single page artwork included work by Kelley Jones, Mike Allred, Patrick Gleason, and Jock. 2016 - present at a 2019 signing for the series' 1,000th issue at Midtown Comics in Manhattan]] In February 2016, DC Comics announced that as part of the company's continuity relaunch called DC Rebirth, Detective Comics would resume its original numbering system with June 2016's #934. Before the New 52, Detective Comics volume 1 had 881 issues, and the New 52's 52 issues, which ran from 2011 until 2016, were then added back into volume one, making Detective Comics #934 the premier issue following the events of 2016's DC Rebirth. Writer James Tynion IV and artists Eddy Barrows and Alvaro Martinez are the creative team on the series which is published twice-monthly. The series features a team initially consisting of Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain and Clayface, led by Batman and Batwoman, with Batwing (Luke Fox) and Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) later recruited following Tim's apparent death and Stephanie leaving the team.Detective Comics #944 DC Comics (Burbank, California). On March 27, 2019, DC Comics released the series' 1,000th issue, marking the second comic book in history to reach that milestone after Action Comics in 2018. The issue, which coincided with Batman's 80th anniversary, is an anthology featuring several stories from a variety of different creative teams. Character debuts Notes Collected editions Volume one The Detective Comics series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks: Batman Archive editions All DC Archive Editions are hardback only and printed on high quality archival paper. Batman Chronicles The Batman Chronicles series plans to reprint every Batman adventure in color, in chronological order, in affordable trade paperbacks. It is not to be confused with the now finished series of the same name. Showcase Presents All Showcase Presents collections are large (over 500 pages), softcover, black and white only reprints. Celebration hardcovers Starting in 2014, DC began releasing character retrospective anthologies, several of which feature issues of Detective Comics Tales of The Batman/Legends of the Dark Knight These books reprint issues by particular creators and contain many issues of Detective Comics, as well as other Batman titles. Other editions Many of these other editions are anthologies containing comics from titles other than Detective Comics. Titles here are presented as close to chronologically as possible. New 52 DC Rebirth ''Millennium Editions'' In 2000 and 2001, DC reprinted several of its most notable issues in the Millennium Edition series. Seven issues of Detective Comics were reprinted in this format.[http://www.comics.org/series/name/Millennium%20Edition%3A%20Detective%20Comics/sort/alpha/ Millennium Edition: Detective Comics] at the Grand Comics Database References Further reading * External links *[http://www.dccomics.com/comics?type=comic&seriesid=394526#browse Detective Comics] at DC Comics official site *[http://www.comics.org/series/87/ Detective Comics] at the Grand Comics Database * Category:1937 comics debuts Category:2011 comics endings Category:2011 comics debuts Category:American comics magazines Category:DC Comics imprints Category:Comics anthologies Category:Comics by Alan Grant Category:Comics by Archie Goodwin Category:Comics by Dennis O'Neil Category:Comics by Doug Moench Category:Comics by Ed Brubaker Category:Comics by Greg Rucka Category:Comics by Len Wein Category:Comics by Michael Fleisher Category:Comics by Paul Dini Category:Comics by Paul Kupperberg Category:Comics by Peter J. Tomasi Category:Comics by Steve Englehart Category:Magazines established in 1937 Category:Magazines disestablished in 2011 Category:Magazines established in 2011